Educational Therapy

Educational Therapy is a method of working with troubled children who struggle with learning. It is a technique that combines psychoanalytic and educational insight and techniques.

Children in school can experience difficulties, which may prevent them from accessing the curriculum and managing in class. A better understanding of the complex issues underlying these problems helps teachers to find new ways of thinking about children and strategies for helping them both therapeutically and by preventing difficulties from developing.

It benefits children and young people with:-

Learning and communication difficulties

Poor social behavior in school

Poor social relationships

The threat of school exclusion

Children who have experienced separations, accidents, bereavement, mental or physical illness in the family, violence, sexual abuse or emotional deprivation and are unable to concentrate and learn in school.

These pupils are often identified early in their school career and given additional support to which they do not fully respond. Educational therapy can be offered as a preventive intervention at this stage.

The child or young person meets with the therapist, usually for one session a week for 50 minutes. Treatment takes place during school term time and may last for four terms or more. The use of stories, drawings, educational activities, games and play provide experiences which help the child make sense of their difficulties and gain the confidence necessary to become a learner. Regular interviews are held parents/careers and with teachers. Educational therapy can also take place in groups.

The purpose of Educational Therapy is:

To develop a relationship which enables the child or young person to feel more settled in the classroom

To explore and resolve the emotional difficulties which are holding back learning